Wall insert for setting bathroom fixtures



March 29, 1960 R. J. MEYER 2,930,505

WALL INSERT FOR SETTING BATHROOM FIXTURES Filed Feb. 10, 1959 INVENT ORATTORNEYS United States Patent WALL INSERT FQR SETTING BATHROOM FIXTURESRobert J. Meyer, Chester, Mass.

Application February 10, 1959, Serial No. 792,291

1 Claim. (Cl. 220-18) The present invention relates to a wall insert forsetting bathroom fixtures and particularly for setting bathroom fixturesin tile walls.

The primary object of the invention is to provide a wall insert to serveas a foundation into which a bathroom fixture can be secured by means ofplaster.

Another object of the invention is to provide a wall insert of the classdescribed above which can be quickly and easily secured to walls ofvarying thicknesses without modifying the structure of the insert.

A further object of the invention is to provide a wall insert of theclass described above which can be quickly and easily attached to thewall and which will permit a fixture to be secured to the wall with aminimum of plaster or cementitious material.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent in the followingspecification when considered in light of the attached drawings, inwhich:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the invention;

Figure 2 is an end elevation of the invention; and

Figure 3 is a vertical sectional view taken along the line 33 of Figure1, looking in the direction of the arrows with the insert shown inposition in a wall with the fixture shown in broken lines.

In present practices, bathroom fixtures of the nature of glass holders,soap dishes, hand rails, toilet paper holders, towel racks and the likeare attached to a tile wall in the following manner. The tile setterfirst cuts a hole the size of the fixture, providing a void of about 4inches including the thickness of the 2 x 4 wall and the plasterboardsecured thereto. To fill this void, he coats excelsior with a very thinmixture of plaster of Paris and stuffs the hole with the material,leaving enough room for the fixture. After the plaster of Paris coatedexcelsior has hardened, he covers the back of the fixture with plasterof Paris and also places plaster of Paris in the void. The fixture isthen pressed into the opening in the wall and is locked in place by theplaster of Paris as it hardens. Under this practice, an excessivequantity of plaster of Paris is required and a considerable delay isentailed while the plaster of Paris coating on the excelsior ishardening before the tile setter can complete the operation ofinstalling the fixture.

Referring now to the drawings in detail wherein like referencecharatcers indicate like parts throughout the several figures, thereference numeral indicates generally an insert for use in attachingbathroom fixtures to a wall.

The insert 10 includes a generally rectangular upright back panel 11having a plurality of perforations 12 extending therethrough in spacedapart relation. The back panel 11 has a pair of upright, spaced apartparallel side walls 13 integrally secured thereto and extendingforwardly therefrom. A second pair of end walls 14 are secured toopposite ends of the back panel 11 and extend forwardly therefrom inspaced apart parallel relation.

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The side walls 13 and end walls 14 form with the back panel 11 an openfront upright receptacle. The side walls 13 and end walls 14 are eachprovided with an outwardly extending flange 15 integrally secured to theedges thereof opposite the back panel 11 with the flanges 15 extendinggenerally parallel to the back panel 11.

The side walls 13 and end walls 14 are each provided with a plurality ofopenings 16 extending therethrough. A tongue 17 is integrally formedcentrally of each of the side walls 13 and the end walls 14, and thetongue 17 is delineated by a generally U-shaped cut 18 extendingthereabout. The tongue 17 is joined to the insert 10 and when bentoutwardly therefrom leaves openings 18a in the side walls 13 and endwall 14 at the forward edge thereof adjacent the flanges 15.

In the use and operation of the invention, a plasterboard wall 19 has anopening 20 cut therein to permit the insert 10 to be extendedtherethrough. The flanges 15 engage the outer face of the plasterboardwall 19 and the tongues 17 are bent outwardly by hand, or with asuitable tool, to engage over the rear face of the plasterboard wall 19,as can be clearly seen in Figure 3. Theflanges 15 and tongue 17 securelyfasten the insert 10 to the plasterboard wall 19 and a fixture 21, shownin broken lines in Figure 3, is secured within the insert 10 by means ofplaster of Paris or similar material in the usual manner with theplaster of Paris protruding through the perforations 12 and openings 16,18a tightly grip the insert 10.

Having thus described the preferred embodiment of the invention, itshould be understood that numerous structural modifications andadaptations may be resorted to without departing from the scope of theappended claim.

What is claimed is:

A wall insert for mounting bathroom fixtures comprising a generallyrectangular back panel, a pair of spaced apart parallel side wallsintegrally secured to opposite side edges of said back panel andextending forwardly therefrom, a pair of spaced apart parallel end wallsintegrally extending from the upper and lower end edges of said backpanel, an outwardly projecting flange integrally formed on. the forwardedge of each of said side and said end walls with said flanges lyingsubstantially parallel to said back panel, said side walls, said endwalls and said back panel having perforations formed therein, and aplurality of deformable tongues integrally secured to said side wallsand said end walls adjacent said flanges with said tongues being'adaptedto be deformed outwardly into engagement with one face of a wall panelthe opposite face of which is engaged by said flanges to secure saidinsert to said wall panel said tongues being formed from the material ofsaid side walls and said end walls, each tongue being delineated by asubstantially U- shaped cut extending thereabout, the bight of said U-shaped out being substantially adjacent the said back panel and the freeends of the legs of said out extending to a line substantially adjacentthe associated flange whereby said tongues may be bent along a selectedintermediate line parallel to said flange to engage wall panels ofvarying thickness.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS856,640 Huntting June 11, 1907 1,961,728 Arnest et al. June 5, 1934FOREIGN PATENTS 520,343 Great Britain Apr. 22, 1940

